Jethro: First to Fight (35 page)

“Oh, privileges,” she replied with a
slight smile. “If they want something, they give us something. And we bond. The
good cops I mean. Get them on your side, get them eager to please you, if only
because they see you as a friend and protector. Sometimes it's the little
things like a softer pillow or a favorite food or treat that can get through
their defenses. And patience. Don't just jump in and start trying to worm
critical intel out of them. Work around to it with casual talk over weeks and
months.”

“I see.”

“We're getting there,” Irene said. “A
lot of us tend to forget, we're still learning on the job. But, well, it's
getting progressively easier, we're building on our successes and learning from
our failures.”

“I see. Every little bit helps?”

“Every conversation, even the trivial
ones matter. And since we only have a handful of pirates, it's easy to cross
correlate what they say. The admiral gave us the biggest stick of them all, if
they don't cooperate they go out the lock.”

“Ouch.”

“Yeah. We don't bring it up. Not unless
we're nasty. Just bringing it up can break a relationship and we don't want
that.”

“Isolation?”

“It keeps them from comparing notes.
Sometimes we put them together for brief periods because they asked for it.
Sort of a carrot thing. You'd be surprised what intel they let slip during
those periods,” she said with a smile.

“Including the ones we picked up on
Agnosta?” Jethro asked.

She stared at him for a long moment.
“How did you...” He felt her access his implant ID. After a moment she nodded.
“I see. I didn't realize you were in on that,” she said, voice flattening a
little. Instinctively she used her implants to look around the area to see and
note who was in ear shot.

“I'm just curious ma'am,” he said,
spreading his hands slightly.

“Ah. Well, the rough treatment didn't
help at first, at least until we turned it on its head.”

“Oh?”

“They were pretty... frightened of you
and the other Neo's. Making it clear that if they didn't play ball we'd ask one
or more of you to step in, and help
convince
them into talking, helped
somewhat.”

“Ah, I see,” Jethro snorted.

“Since all of you are carnivores, that
helps. A nice show of teeth now and then, just the idea had a couple pissing
the bed.”

Jethro grinned. “Anything we can do to
help. I could always ghost in and spook a few,” he said.

“Ghost... yes, I heard something about your
cloak. Where did you get it?” she asked.

“Genetics. My ancestor Tobias. That's
all I know really, if you want more you'll have to get past Firefly and a load
of classified labels,” Jethro replied ruefully. “I'd like to know more myself
sir, ma'am.”

“Ma'am is fine,” the Lieutenant said,
waving a hand. “I imagine the classified blocks are there for a reason,” she
said.

“I know that on some levels, but we're
talking my body here. We're also talking about...” he sighed and shook his
head. “Never mind, again classified.”

“I see,” she said slowly, and then
nodded. “That's one of the hardest things to do, is to shut up. I'm glad you
are working on that part Corporal.
Keep
working on it.”

“Yes Ma'am,” Jethro replied, flicking
his ears in humor.

The Lieutenant smiled slightly. “Now, if
you'll excuse me, I've got a date with my boy-toy and he owes me a massage and
a hot bath before I have to grade papers. You get on that homework assignment
young man, cat, whatever,” Irene said, waggling a finger at the panther.

Jethro's eyes widened briefly and then
he nodded dutifully. “Aye aye ma'am.”

...*...*...*...*...

The first orbital fort was under
construction. The Naval architects and engineers had got around some of the
worst of the design issues with creative low tech fixes and work arounds
thought up by Ox and his compatriots. Each fort design had massive Gauss linear
actuator weapons for their main guns. Each could lob multiton lobs of metal and
rock at a target. There were many of different scales, some for main weapons,
some for point defense. Each of their mounts were modular to allow the crews to
upgrade to point defense lasers or graser weapon turrets when they became
available. If they ever did.

Horatio brought in the Sod Busters crew
to help and do some of the work. The military engineers ended up training them
on the job for the work. Just getting some of the noobs to have a work ethic
was an achievement, most wanted to sit around and talk while someone else did
the heavy lifting. The Valdez and Gutierrez family were heavily involved in
hauling goods and people to and from the fort.

Solar power and beamed energy were the
current power method until a fusion reactor could be built and installed. Since
the tech for a reactor was mostly banned by the replicators, they had a long
wait on that front. They did use as much off the shelf parts as they could, and
planned for the future carefully. An opening for the reactors was made, and EPS
conduit and control runs were installed. Hopefully if they ever did get a fusion
reactor, they would be able to drop it in and hook it up.

Jethro occasionally took lunches in an
observation blister. He and a few others would silently eat their MRE's while
watching the splendid view. Some were more interested in the stars beyond, he
was ever curious about all the tiny craft darting about, feeding the asteroid.
It seemed liked a reversal of the way things should be.

The work took less than a month before
it was finished. When it was finished and tested the first fort was towed out
to the jump point to Beta-101A1. It took Firefly two standard weeks to tow the
behemoth asteroid to just outside the safe jump zone, two million kilometers
from the jump point's center. There it was set up, overseeing the minefield and
giving Wendigo, the escort frigate on picket duty there some much needed back
up.

There was a brief public ceremony
christening the project. The media closed with the news that three additional
forts were under construction and that San Diego was now back under
construction. Jethro remained on Anvil, studying hard for finals. He was amused
to see some of the squad in dress blues as honor guards at the ceremony. He was
less amused by the talk by various colonial mayors about how the navy could
drag their colony in to the yard and give them a free overhaul.

...*...*...*...*...

When he passed the intel test Jethro
decided to celebrate. Hrriss was supposed to meet him at an upscale restaurant.
He waited patiently, and was annoyed when he received an e-mail apologizing and
canceling the lunch. He ordered a light meal, ate it quickly and then paid his
bill.

As he was leaving Jethro ran into the
Anvil station governor, Enrique Salvador, Lieutenant Commander Thornby, and
Lieutenant Commander Matilda. He gave the two military reservists a brief nod
in passing. He didn't have to come to attention and salute since both reserve
officers were out of uniform.

...*...*...*...*...

Anvil station governor Enrique Salvador
smiled politely to the two ladies. He'd known both for decades. Doctor Thornby had
been an intern when he had been born, she had assisted his Pediatrician doctor
Rom'thal until the old Veraxin had retired, and then taken over as his general
practitioner. In other words she'd looked after him for practically every
sniffle, bump, bruise, and broken bone. As well as the occasional hangover.
They had worked well on the station council, she had been a supporter when the
port admiral had been in charge. But ever since the upheaval she had been
distant, first in being so busy, but also with this mess with politics and the
navy. “Thank you for agreeing to meet me.”

“Hey, I couldn't pass up a handsome lad
offering to take me out to lunch,” Matilda quipped, taking her seat. Enrique
blinked, he'd been on his way to seat her but paused in confusion. Thornby
smiled politely, allowing him to seat her. She smiled her thanks as he took his
own seat.

“Everything well?” Matilda asked, as a
waiter came over. “Water,” she ordered, turning her head to the woman. The girl
nodded, writing it down on a tablet. She turned expectantly to the doctor.

“Water as well. Vitamin water though,”
the doctor replied, shooting a teasing glance at the dean. Matilda snorted
softly.

“Um, ah, vitamin water as well,” Enrique
replied with a shrug as he picked up his menu. Matilda had changed a great
deal. Gone was the self effacing secretary he had known. The grandmotherly
woman had firmed up, she was now a confident woman. She had even taken the time
to initiate anti-geriatric treatments it seemed. She looked twenty years younger.
It was a bit disconcerting to see the cougar on the prowl.

Doctor Thornby watched the waitress bob
a nod and then disappear unobtrusively. It was the beginning of the lunch hour,
there was a small crowd, growing as patrons came in. She was amused by the
presence of the nearby Marines and immediately recognized Jethro. She nodded
politely to him. He flicked his ears back. She snorted softly, laying out her
linen napkin in her lap.

Enrique was a bit off his game, she
judged, he'd begun to become fidgety lately, a sure sign he was caught in a
crack and didn't like it or see a way out of it. In other words, he was acting
a lot like he had been before the admiral had arrived, when he'd been under the
thumb of the slimeball Port admiral clone. Some people returned to type under
the wrong conditions, adopting a crony attitude. She was done with that.

They engaged in small talk, discussing a
few things, dancing around the subject of whatever Enrique wanted to talk
about. Matilda brought them up to speed on her granddaughter's latest boyfriend
and how well she was doing in school.

She wished he'd just come out and say
it, they might be able to get it sorted out. Besides, all this dancing around
the subject drove her nuts. She had work to do, important work. Not that she
minded the break, it was just annoying.

The station governor felt them out with
small talk about the navy, how things were going before he worked his way
around the possibility of the navy leaving.

When she realized what he'd been beating
around the bush about she turned and rolled her eyes to Matilda. The other
woman smiled ever so slightly, hiding her amusement as she dabbed at her lips
with her napkin. “Oh my,” Matilda murmured.

“Enrique, you know we'd tell you
something like that. I wouldn't leave you in a lurch. The answer is, no the
navy will still be here. Or at least the majority of the navy,” Doctor Thornby
said, doing her best to assure him it wasn't so. “What they, I mean we are
doing is setting up a Marine facility and recruiting post on a neighboring star
system's planet. We're also posting a picket to keep an eye on things.”

“The ship you mean? Then why does
Firefly have to go?”

Thornby frowned. “Firefly is still our
largest ship with a fully functional class 4 milspec replicator. The other
ships do not have its capacity. Also Firefly will serve as a reassuring
diplomatic presence while they get the base and defenses up and running before
eventually returning to Pyrax for rest and refit.”

“So they will be returning,” Enrique said,
sounding relieved.

“Oh of course!” the doctor said with a
smile. “What made you think they wouldn't?”

“There are some odd rumors going
around.”

Thornby sniffed in disdain. “Yes well,
you know the nature of rumors. Some are true, but most aren't worth the time it
takes to listen to them. Some are used for... other purposes let's just say. In
this case no, Firefly will be returning.”

Enrique nodded. “That's good to know.”

Matilda shrugged and waved an airy hand.
“Well, they have to. I mean our industry is here. The yard is here.”

“Correct,” the doctor said, nodding to
the college dean. “And the college of course,” she said.

“Oh of course.”

“Agnosta doesn't have the manpower or
industry in the system. Granted they've got about the same amount of resources
in their belts as we do, but there's an intense radiation field emanating from
one of their stars that makes it hard to mine. From what I was told the
materials would be irradiated with radiation as well. Oh it can be done in
time, but it would be cost prohibitive. Everything you pulled would be
irradiated too.”

“Ouch.”

“So why not stay here?” Enrique asked.

Matilda frowned. “Because we, look...”
She frowned for a moment, collecting her thoughts. She took a sip of water then
tried again. “Marines need to learn to adapt to various battlefields. There's
no telling where they will deployed in the future. Virtual reality only helps
so much, eventually you need to experience the real thing. Trust me on this,
there's a world of difference from a computer sim and the real thing. Some of
my interns are learning that the hard way. I've had several wash out because
they couldn't hack it.”

“Ouch.”

“Oh they may stay in the medical field,
some will eventually make good low grade doctors, pediatricians, specialists
that do not need to handle trauma or surgery, but they will never meet their
full potential. It's a pity.”